Known for pushing performance and gaming-centric smartphones across price points, iQOO appears to be working on the follow-up to last year’s Neo 11. Highly likely to launch in China first, the key specifications and highlights of the iQOO Neo 12 have reportedly surfaced online on Weibo courtesy of the tipster, Smart Pikachu. Earlier, a report stated that iQOO will skip the Neo series for India this year as the brand wishes to refine its premium lineup.
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The iQOO Neo 12 may be pushing for top-notch thermal efficiency
According to Smart Pikachu on Weibo, the iQOO Neo 12 is currently in its testing phase. While the company is evaluating several cooling solutions, the smartphone could be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 and flaunt a 2K resolution display.
Coming to the cooling solutions, the tipster states that the brand is considering either packing the phone with an in-built cooling fan or bundling proprietary external cooling accessories. We’ve previously seen brands going both routes. For instance, the recently unveiled OPPO K15 Pro Plus and OPPO K15 Pro gain an in-built fan, just like the OPPO K13 Turbo series, while OnePlus separately offers the Freezing Point Magnetic Cooler for the OnePlus 15 and 13 to keep the phone cool under heavy loads.
The brand’s current flagship, the iQOO 15 Ultra, already utilises an active cooling fan to dissipate heat when indulging in intensive activities such as playing high-end games and video rendering.
Regardless of which solution the brand opts for, the leak is a clear indication that iQOO wants to put strong thermal efficiency on the Neo 12 at the forefront so that gamers have an enjoyable and smooth gameplay experience. It’s also possible that iQOO wants to replicate the successes of the OPPO K13 Turbo and K13 series in China, and hence it’s evaluating putting cooling fans on the back of its phone, i.e. the Neo 12 in this case.
What else could the iQOO Neo 12 bring to the table
Coming to the processor, rumoured to run on the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, this is the same flagship-grade chipset running at the helm of the flagship iQOO 15. Furthermore, the iQOO 15 also happens to carry a 2K display, which the iQOO Neo 12 could also flaunt; however, the display on the iQOO smartphone could be sourced from another manufacturer since the iQOO 15 is likely to be the only phone to remain equipped with the Samsung M14 OLED panel to maintain distinction between a flagship and mid-flagship.
With AnTuTu scores of over 38,00,000, the iQOO Neo 12 is sure to offer a premium level of performance in any task or game you throw at it. Paired with an in-house developed cooling system, the iQOO Neo 12 could shape up to be a strong gaming smartphone worth watching out for in China.
While other details remain under wraps, the camera systems on the iQOO Neo 12 may be modest, meaning a telephoto lens is unlikely to be present, as is the case with most performance flagship smartphones. Under the hood, it could run on a large battery since the iQOO Neo 11 features a 7,500mAh cell.
